Ila Mae Johnston, 84

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. - Ila Mae Johnston, 84, of Deerfield Beach, Fla., passed away on Dec. 1, 2009, to be with the Lord.

Ila was born in Calcutta, to parents, the late Lawrence and Hazel Chamberlin.

One of seven children, she is survived by two remaining sisters, Ruth Ehalt of Deerfield Beach and Marion Dietz of East Liverpool.

Ila Mae, or just Mae as she preferred to be called, had five children, all surviving, whom she loved with all her heart. They are: Diane Grezner, married to Gene Grezner , and grandson Patrick Rodden all of Newnan, Ga.; James L Johnston, married to Marilyn Paffendorf of Warren N.J., grandchildren James P. Johnston and Emily P. Schlenker, married to Jake Schlenker and, great-grandson Jack; Richard H. Johnston, married to Susan Baxter of Raleigh, N.C., grandchildren Barbara Sue Johnston, Wade Owen Johnston married to Lauren Poor, and Joel Johnston; Tracy Suchcicki, married to Robert Suchcicki of Monroe Township N.J., and grandson Kevin Suchcicki; and Janet Jones married to Marshal Jones of Jacksonville Fla., and granddaughter Jamie Jones.

Mae grew up, married her husband Jim who predeceased her and had her family in East Liverpool, where she worked for many years for TK Roofing as a bookkeeper. She moved to New Jersey when her husband's job took him to Metuchen. She continued to raise an active family while working and living in Metuchen, Old Bridge, Millville, and then back to Old Bridge, N.J.

Mae and Jim eventually retired and began their life in Deerfield Beach as snowbirds, traveling I95 in the spring and fall. Eventually, Deerfield Beach won out as the home of choice and she and her husband relocated permanently in 1992, a move that served them well.

While living in Deerfield, Mae served as the Board President for the Hampton Garden Condominium Association. She loved interacting with people that lived at Hampton Gardens. They became a second family to her. Mae could also be found attending the "Big Pink" Church (First Presbyterian Church of Pompano Beach) in Pompano Beach. She loved the fellowship, and especially enjoyed the rich music that was offered every Sunday and through special concerts. She could also be found playing bridge there weekly.

Mae played bridge with others during the week, often playing two to three times a week. She joined the Red Hat Society and spent many hours with "the ladies" over lunches and other activities. When not playing bridge, you could find Mae on her porch talking to friends and hosting visiting out of town guests. Mae frequently had family visiting.

We knew Mae as Mom, but if you knew her as Mae or Aunt Mae or Grandma or as a neighbor, you knew that she loved her family and her life in each of these roles. In the end, Mae was happy, extremely proud of her family and the life that she had built for herself and family. We will all miss Mae, but we are comfortable that the Lord chose to come take her home.

The family will receive friends at the Kraeer Funeral Home, 217 East Hillsboro Blvd, Deerfield Beach on Friday from 2 to 4 and from 7 to 9 p.m. A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. on Sat., Dec. 5, 2009, at the First Presbyterian Church of Pompano.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to either of the following: music program at the First Presbyterian Church of Pompano 2331 NW 26th Ave, Pompano Beach, Fla., 33062. or to your local Hospice.